The premise is simple. Two people trapped in Tokyo meet and together make the experience easier to bear. Gosh, you think, it has to be more complex than that. It's not. That's why it's beautiful.

Lost in Translation is Sofia Coppola's second major release and it's awesome. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson are so spectacularly cast that, right from the first scenes, you believe. Every simple little situation is totally satisfying.

You start off thinking, "darn, this film is about how bad it is to be in Japan." But by the time the film is over, you get it. The whole thing says very little about Japan, a lot about these two people, and it could have been situated in just about any city, including Sao Paulo.

This is no comedy, at least not a Bill Murray comedy. He doesn't get to deliver killer punch lines. It’s an intimate film. It can be spacious, quiet and delicate. Like real life, right?

I believe too. There were no low points, but I got a kick out of the cell phone ring tones. The Peaches song at the strip-joint is nifty. Murray on the killer exercise machine is hilarious. As is the hospital waiting room segment. posted by lawrence at 01:20 PM